Siu Ngap

Hubby has a very strange sense of taste. His taste receptor cells are either too hyped up or kaput. Siaopo doesn't understand at times. It made her laugh.

Hubby has extreme fascination with duck. But, he ONLY love roast duck. Not Peking duck, not braised duck, not even living duck but roast duck! Strange liking.

Cooking Siu Ngap is a task full of twist and turn. Reluctant to cook for years, Siaopo finally decided to give it a go after stumbling upon a wonderful blog entry by Waitakere Redneck Kitchen.

Reproduce her recipe as below. Thanks to the great recipe. Second dish of the meat galore cookout.

Ingredients
1Kg duck (without head and neck from Tesco)
2 tbsp five spice powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp of vinegar
1 tbsp of honey

Method

1. Clean the duck in boiling water for 5 minutes. Dry the duck and rub with five spice, sugar and salt Hang outside for 5 hours.( see photo)
2. Brush the skin with vinegar and honey.
3. Put a tray of water on the bottom of oven to keep the temperature moist.
4. Bake in oven for 50 minutes on 150 degree, 30 minutes on 160 degrees, 20 minutes on 180 degree and last 15 minutes on 180 degree.
5. Remove the duck each time from oven and turn and flip as necessary.

Liong siu fan. (Char Siu and Siu Ngap )Two combination meat rice.

Siaopo's Siu Ngap Verdict

1. Only cost £11 to buy one from Chinatown and cost £6 for a raw duck.
   
2. Roasting could only happen in summer. Require sunny weather to dry the duck outdoor.
3. Neighbours probably in awesome wonder now. " What is this crazy Chinese couple next door doing ? Hanging a raw duck in the garden for hours ! Could it be skeleton hanging next?

In summary, Siaopo rather buy Siu Ngap from Chinatown than roasting at home. Less hassle.

Char Siu

Siaopo's extreme fluctuations in mood has come to an end. Her cooking desire has finally return after a terrible week.

There will be a fascinating meat galore cookout in Siaopo's kitchen this weekend.

First meat dish is Char Siu, a famous meat dish in Malaysia. Char Siu is usually sold in food stall alongside with roast pork and roast duck.

Ingredients
500g pork fillet
2 tbsp honey

Marinate
1 cup of garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp dark sauce
2 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cooking wine
Dash of pepper
Drops of red colouring

Method

1. Marinate pork with marinate sauce for at least 4 hours.
2. Leave aside the leftover marinate sauce for later use.
3. Pre-heat oven at 220 degree.
4. Transfer the marinated pork to baking tray and bake for 45 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and drain the gravy.
6. Coat the pork with leftover marinate sauce and grill on stove for 10 minutes.
7. Brush top with honey and slice into small pieces.
8. Serve warm with rice.

Malaysian style Char Siu rice with sweet gravy. Yummy...

SPAM Fried Rice

Siaopo was frazzled when she arrived at work this morning. The hour before leaving for work was insane and chaos.

In beating the morning rush, she has forgotten to remove the frozen chicken out from the fridge to defrost in the room temperature.

Siaopo had to switch to plan B on using SPAM as the replacement for the frozen chicken.

SPAM Fried rice is easy to cook and great in taste. This is an ideal recipe for working wife like Siaopo.
Leftovers are perfect for packed lunch the next day !

Ingredients
1 can SPAM (cut into cubes)
2 cups of mixed vegetables
1 cup of prawns
2 eggs ( Fry and cut small)

Seasoning
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp chicken stock cubes

Method

1. Heat the wok with oil. Add in SPAM , prawns and mixed vegetables.
2. Add in the rice and seasonings.
3. Add in eggs and serve warm.

Bad Mood Recipe

Siaopo had another terrible day at work and was at the verge of walking out. Siaopo was lost in the maze of office politics !

If the exposure of these overwhelming stress does not come to end, Siaopo will soon be experiencing mental breakdown.

Please remember to bring along some yummy food when visiting Siaopo at the psychiatric hospital. Nasi lemak, roti canai and etc will be very much appreciated.

Instant noodle aka Maggi Mee is a common recipe for bad mood victim like Siaopo.

Ingredients
1 packet of Maggi Mee
1 egg
2 sausages

Method

1. Bring the water to boil in a pot.
2. Put in the noodle. Simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Add seasoning sachet. Stir well.
4. Serve well with fried egg and sausages.

Comment from food critic WP Ng - OMG ! Need tips on HOW TO SURVIVE IN HER MOOD SWINGS else i need to eat this everyday ! Any recommendation ?

Newcastle D-Day

Last Sunday was hubby's most nervous day of the year. Being a Newcastle United fan, winning is everything, losing is unthinkable.

As Newcastle prepare for their latest battle over the road in Premiership, Siaopo suggested a day out trip to Dunstanburgh Castle to overcome his nervousness.

Both enjoyed the breathtaking scenery and great view of the castle.

Picnic packed lunch menu was bread with Bak Kua and Teh Tarik. Yummy....

Unfortunately, Newcastle United players did not take the game by the scruff of the neck. 16 years of stay in Premier League came to an end on Sunday.

It was indeed a sad day for Newcastle...

Curry Puff

Today is a bank holiday for England and Wales. Having a day off from work, Siaopo decided to make curry puff for afternoon tea.

This savory puff also fondly known as karipap is one of the famous delicacies of Malaysia.

Hubby loves this karipap to bits ! He can now enjoy his wife's cooking after 2 weeks away from home.

Ingredients
1 packet of just-rol puff pastry
1 big potato (cube, boiled and drained)
1 lb chicken (cut into smal bites)
2 onions (chopped)
1/2 cup of milk
1 tbsp butter

Marinate
3 tbsp of curry powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp of sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. Marinate chicken with ingredients. Leave for 1 hour.
2. Roll out the puff pastry on table top lightly floured. Roll it to a rectangle of 3 mm thick with rolling pin. Cut into a bowl size shape.
3. Heat wok with butter. Fry the onions till fragrant.
4. Add in chicken and continue fyring.
5. Add potatoes and milk. Cook till thick. Leave to cool.
6. Preheat oven to 200 degree celcius.
7. Put the fillings in the middle of the round dough.
8. Fold over and pleat the ends to seal. (see photo)
9. Brush the top with egg.
10. Bake the puff for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
    

Bak Kua

Siaopo can now turn her kitchen into Kiew Brothers or Bee Cheng Hiang !

Special thanks to Grace and Lufbra Girl for sharing the great bak kua recipe. Siaopo added some five spice powder and honey to jazz up the taste.

The Bak Kua is simply marvellous. Best snack attack choice while watching television.

Ingredients

1 lb pork mince
2 tbsp honey

Marinate
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp five spice powder

Method

1. Marinate pork mince with the ingredients for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 125 degree.
3. Stir mince in one direction with chopstick till gluey.
4. Put mince onto a parchment paper and cover with cling film.
5. Roll the mince into 2-3 mm thick with a rolling pin.
6. Remove the cling film and put mince to a baking tray.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, increase the oven to 185 degree and bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and brush some honey over the mince. Continue to bake for 5-10 minutes.
9. Remove the mince from the oven again and flip over. Continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
10. Cool it and cut into pieces.

1kg of bak kua only lasted hubby for one day ! What a pig..

Mum's Birthday

This week is a very special week for the Lee family; it is their mothers 62nd Birthday.

Last week, Big Sis arranged a small celebratory dinner to mark the occasion.

Hubby was home on a business trip last week, so he was able to attend. Lucky him. Unfortunately Siaopo and her Little Sis could not attend due to the distances involved.

As it was they could only enjoy the photographs of the dinner.

Happy Birthday Mummy ! We love you loads...

This two-years old adorable little toddler is Siaopo's niece, BabyLulu. (Cousin Jessie's daughter). Mum babysit BabyLulu when she was younger. BabyLulu is the apple of everyone's eyes at home.

Introducing Siaopo's family members - Dad, Big Sis, BabyLulu and their son-in-law, hubby.

A moment's glimpse of footballer....

Life is full of surprises. Yesterday morning, Siaopo experienced a moment in her life when she just ran out of words.

While driving to work, Siaopo met the famous Newcastle United Football Manager, Alan Shearer. He was driving alone in a huge posh black four wheel drive.

Shearer is also a former Newcastle United striker and captain for English Football National Team.

In the numb moment of surprise, Siaopo did not even manage to wave at him. What a pity…..

As it was just 3 minutes drive away from Siaopo’s house, Siaopo could have invited him back for a cup of coffee...…sigh... What a shame !

Siaopo wonder who she can meet next…Michael Owen ? Before he stops playing for Newcastle…..

Fish Pie

Fish pie is a traditional British dish.

This quick and easy fish pie is low in fat and high in flavour. Siaopo has substituted fat-free fromage frais and fat-free yogurt for high calorie butter and cream cheese.

If you are looking for a healthy low fat meal, try this delicious fish pie !

Ingredients
2 Cod fillets
1 potato
3 carrots
5 eggs
340g fat-free natural yogurt
140g fat-free natural fromage frais
1 cup of green peas
Handful of herbs/parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree.
2. Peel and dice both potato and carrots. Boil until tender, drain and mash together.
3. Beat 1 egg and Add 4 tbsp of yogurt and stir into the mash.
4. Poach the cod until just cook. Set aside to coo; and flake into a bowl.
5. Boil the remaining eggs, peel and cut into quaters.
6. Add the boiled eggs, peas, herbs, fromage frais, yogurt to the cod and gently combine.
7. Divide between two pie dish, spoon the potato and carrot mash over and rough surface with fork.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are browned.
9. Served warm.

Seafood Tong Yum

Another Thai gastronomic secret from Siaopo's culinary guru, Wisit.

Adjust the spices to make it as spicy as taste buds can handle.

Ingredients
10-15 big prawns
10 seafood sticks
10 squids
1 packet of chinese abalone mushroom
2 stalks of lemon grass ( cut small)
1 onions ( slice)
Handful of lime leaves
1 tbsp of tong yum paste
1 fresh lime or lemon
3 tbsp Soy sauce
Handful of small red chillies
2 tbso sugar
salt

Method

1. Boil water in a pot. Add in onions, lemon grass and lime leaves.
2. Add prawns, squids, mushroom and seafood sticks.
3. Let it cook for a while before adding the tongyum paste.
4. Add soy sauce, salt and sugar. Add chillies.
5. Serve hot with lime/lemon juice.

Grilled Chicken with Cherry Sauce

We all need to give ourselves some TLC from time to time. For Siaopo, she often respond by treating herself to a culinary indulgence.

Siaopo find herself economizing here, choosing to pamper herself by splurging on luxury ingredients and cooking them in the comfort of her own kitchen !

This easy yet stylish recipe is a perfect way to pamper yourself.

Ingredients
1 red onions (finely chopped)
8 cherries
1 cup of green peas
2 skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp red vinegar
5 star anise
2 tsbp of Hartley low calorie raspberry jelly
1/2 cup of chicken essence from stocks
2 tsbp sugar

Marinade
2 tsbp soy sauce
sugar and pepper

Method

1. Marinade the chicken breast. Place under the medium hot grill for 6-8 minutes or until cook.
2. Halve the cherries and remove the stones and stalks.
3. Heat pan with dash of oil. Add onions, star-anise, jelly, sugar, chicken stock and cherries .Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Place the grilled chicken breast on serving plate. Top with the cherry sauce and serve with steamed green peas.

FRUITY FRIDAY

FRUITY FRIDAY is an annual awareness and fundraising campaign, held by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF UK), intended to raise money to support cancer research.

This year's FRUITY FRIDAY was held on 15th May 2009.

The company that Siaopo works for, held a no uniform day to support the occasion.This year's theme is GO BANANA and dressing-up in yellow!

Siaopo together with the walking team ordered FRUITY FRIDAY yellow T-Shirt to wear, and went for an Italian meal after work to commemorate the day.

Siaopo's FRUITY FRIDAY was fantastic, beyond words !

Photo taken in office Reception. Can you spot Siaopo ?


The Walking Team at Marcello Italian Rest for dinner

Yau Mak Fu-Yee

Stir-fry vegetables with fu-yee is more common in southern Malaysia; as seen more often in their meals. Fu yee is a preserved fermented beancurd in brine.

The more popular way of serving fermented beancurd in Penang is as a seasoning for plain congee or known as Teow Chew porridge.

Yau Mak Fu-Yee is a well-liked dish in Mum-in-law's household.

Ingredients
1 Rommaine Lettuce (cut)
3 pieces of fu-yee
3 garlic (crushed)
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok and add in fu-yee.
2. Fry until fragrant Add in crushed garlic and continue to fry till golden brown.
3. Add in lettuce. Continue stir fry and add in the fish sauce.
4. Dish out and serve hot.

Malaysian Fish Curry

Sometimes life throws up some funny and embarassing moments. Siaopo faced one such incident about fish curry years ago during her trip back to Penang.

Hubby and Siaopo were having a family dinner with mum and dad at a CHU CHA stall at Jetty. Chu Cha is a higher-ranking hawker stall serving a variety of home-cook dishes in Penang. Fish Curry was one of the dish ordered at that meal. When the bill came at the end of the meal, hubby's reaction was funny - a mixture of utter disbelief and anger.

Hubby : Wah, fish curry is RM12 ! Want to suck blood meh !! Taste so poor. My wife's fish curry is million times better than this. Lou por, tiok bo ?
Siaopo : * Shock*..speechless....( mum and dad looked at me instantly ) *Pai seh pai seh.*

Is hubby speaking the truth or just a load of crap he made up just to please Siaopo?

This fish curry is one of Siaopo's signature dish. Enjoy !

Ingredients
2 sea bream fish
1 packet of Nis fish curry mix (best fish curry mix)
1 lb of okra
1 onions (cut into rings)
3 chillies ( few dried and fresh for garnishing)
1 stalk of lemon grass ( cut small)
Handful of bay leaves
Ginger ( sliced thinly)
Tomatoes
2 tbsp cornstarch
250ml coconut milk
2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Wash the fish and coat with cornstarch. Grill the fish till cook.
2. Heat oil in wok and put lemon grass, ginger, bay leaves, dried chillies,salt and cook until fragrant.
3. Mix tcurry fish powder in coconut milk. Add to the cooked ingredients. Leave to boil for few minutes.
4. Add in okra and stir well. Add in the onions, tomatoes and fish.
5. Do a quick stir and remove from heat. Dish out and garnish will chillies and pasley.

Century Egg Chicken Congee

Waking up to a steaming bowl of congee for breakfast is just a perfect way to start Siaopo's weekend. One of hubby and Siaopo's comfort food is a thick and savory century egg chicken congee.

Not only congee a breakfast item, it can be eaten for any meal. A great food to have when you are feeling under the weather. Siaopo recalled hubby eating congee for a week when he had four of his wisdom teeth extracted years back!

This dish is also called Pei Tan Kai See Chok in Cantonese. Top the congee with fresh shredded ginger, chopped spring onions, a few drops of sesame oil and dash of white pepper will definitely make your tummy all warm and happy!

Ingredients
2 cups of rice
1/2 cup of chicken essence (from chicken stocks)
1lb chicken thigh (washed and removed the bones)
2 century eggs ( diced)
1 boiled salted duck egg (mashed)
A bunch of spring onions
Ginger(shredded)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Drops of sesame oil /pepper

Method

1. Wash the rice and coat with some sesame oil. Add in chicken essence.
2. Set the rice cooker to congee setting. Leave it to cook for 1 hour.
3. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil.
4. Steam the chicken for 15 minutes or until cook.
5. When chicken is cook, cool it for a while before cutting into thin stripes.
6. Add in chicken stripes, mashed salted duck eggs,oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir well.
7. Add in century egg and serve. Garnish with spring onions, shredded ginger, pepper and sesame oil.

Kung Pao Chicken

A special request from a great friend Sinn Wee. If you enjoy spicy food like Sinn Wee, you will love this dish !

Ingredients
1lb chicken (cut into cubes)
1/3 cup of roasted cashew nut
1 green pepper ( sliced)
10 dried red chillies
1 tbsp garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp ginger (sliced finely)
2 tbsp cooking oil

Marinade
1tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine
1tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp oil

Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp black vinegar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Method

1. Marinade the chicken for 30 minutes. Mix all the sauce ingredients in mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat up the wok and stir-fry the marinated chicken until 70% cook. Dish out and set aside.
3. Clean wok and 1 tbsp cooking oil. Add in ginger and garlic for a while before adding dried chillies.
4. Stir fry until aromatic and smell spicy. Add in chicken, peanuts and green pepper.
5. Add in the sauce and continue to stir fry until chicken is nicely coated with the sauce.
6. Dish out and serve with warm rice.

Marriage affair - Third Party

Third party is most common cause why couples broke their marriage down and parted their ways.

There is a third party trying to ruin Siaopo's marriage, and her life. Hubby has an affair with her for years, if not decades now. Her name is Miss TV...Full name - MISS TELEVISION !

Over the years, hubby has become completely engrossed with Miss TV. It is on first thing in the morning (if he has spare time before work), and is definitely on throughout the night.

Hubby is a real TV-aholic, TV Addict and etc ... ! He loves Miss TV more than he loves his wife.

The watching, endless watching, of hubby on Miss TV has gotten on Siaopo's nerves !

Caught red-handed spending quality time with Miss TV !

Siaopo needs to save her marriage before it crumbles.
Two simple ways to save Siaopo's marriage and re-introduce happiness into her marital experience.
1. Kill Miss TV
2. Burn Miss TV

Any more ideas ?

Strawberry Agar-agar

Agar-agar (chai yean in hokkien) is an easy to make and cheap desert Siaopo grew up with. A great choice of desert at anytime especially after a heavy meal.

Do you know agar-agar contains more than 80% of fiber? It can serve as a great intestinal regulator ! Delicious dessert and a natural cure for constipated patient like Siaopo.

Similar recipe as Pandan Agar-agar.

Ingredients:
Red Strawberry layer
20g agar-agar strands
5 strawberries (slice)
1 liter of water
200g sugar
Red colouring

Coconut Milk Layer
20g agar-agar strands
300 ml coconut milk
700 ml water
200g sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Soak the agar-agar strands in cold water.
2. Place the strawberries in individual mould or remekin.
3. Boil the ingredients on the red layer till dissolve.
4. Add in red colouring when is boiled.
5. Sieve the mixture and pour into the remekin with sliced strawberries.Let it cool for few minutes.
6. Boil ingredients of coconut milk layer (except coconut & salt) till dissolve.Add in coconut milk and salt.
7. Sieve the mixture and pour into the ready red strawberry layer.
8. Leave it cool for 20 minutes before refrigerating it for few hours.
9. Invert the agar-agar and serve chilled.

Penang Char Koay Teow

You can take a girl out of Penang but you can never take Penang out of a girl !

Siaopo will never leave Penang without a good plate of Char Koay Teow. To satisfy her own craving without flying back to Penang, Siaopo has made her own version of Char Koay Teow !

Ingredients
400g Flat Rice Noodle
1 tbsp garlic ( chopped)
6 prawns
20g bacon (bacon was used to substituted Chinese sausage)
2 Eggs
30g beans sprouts
2 tbsp oil
Handful of chives

Sauce
1 tbsp sambal paste
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
Dash of peppers Water

Method:

1. Heat wok with oil and fry the bacon or Chinese sausages until fragrant. Add garlic and stir well.
2. Add in prawns and fry until cooked. Push aside the prawns and bacon.
3. Add in the flat rice noodle. Add in the mixture of sauce and stir well.
4. Add some water and continue to fry.
5. Spread all the ingredients aside and create a space in the middle of wok. Break the eggs.
6. Put all the ingredients onto the eggs and stir evenly.
7. Add in beansprouts and chives. Serve hot.

Steamed cucumber with turkey mince and prawns

This is one of the dish Siaopo made for a potluck gathering last Saturday. Photos from the enjoyable potluck will be posted in due course.

A simple dish just right for potluck gathering !

Ingredients
2 cucumber (cut into small round piece)
Few prawns (chopped)
1lb turkey mince

Marinate
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
Dash of peppers and sugar

Sauce
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix the turkey mince and chopped shrimps with the marinade sauce well.
2. Scoop out the seeds in the middle of the slice round cucumber.
3. Stuff the cucumber with the mixture. Steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
4. Put all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil and stir well.
5. Pour the sauce onto the cucumber when cucumber is done.
6. Garnish with chopped spring onions and red chillies. Serve warm with rice.

Banana Loaf

Ever wonder why monkeys are so happy all the time? Could it be because of bananas?

Siaopo absolutely adores banana. For Siaopo, A banana a day keeps the doctor away! Not only Siaopo an extreme banana lover, she is also a pure banana Chinese who doesn't read and write Chinese!

Siaopo has few bananas left in the fruit bowl and decided to make the best out of it. This moist and delicious banana loaf is so easy to make - ideal for banana aficionado. Let's go BANANA !

Ingredients
80g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas (the riper they are, the better)
180g self-raising flour (sieved)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk

Method

1. Grease the loaf tin. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree.
2. Mash the bananas.
3. Put flour, eggs, baking powder, sugar, butter and milk into mixing bowl. Mix well with hand mixer.
4. Spoon the mixture to loaf tin. Bake for 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown. A fine skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
5. Let it cool down. Slice thickly to serve

Goodbye Winter, Hello Summer !

At last after the long, long winter it's time to enjoy summer. Weeks of chilling out and soaking up sunshine is finally here.

Summer sunshine, warmer weather and flowers blossom. Siaopo loves this time of year.

In books, summer is often depicted as a care free time to relax, find romance etc. For hubby, summer means more work. Garden Lawn, car wash, DIY and many many more...

Hubby killing the garden weeds and mowing the lawn. The grass grows faster than his hair in summer ! Amazing ....

Hubby busy washing his own Proton FERRARI and Siaopo's car in the driveway. A typical Perkerjaan Buruh Kasar ...
Good Luck hubby !